This stuff is AMAZING. I've only had it for about a week but I've used it probably five times... on myself and on my family. It's basically just a little bottle of nail glue with a brush for applying and a little jar of acrylic powder. Plus it comes with a small double sided file for smoothing after.
My only concern is it takes a while to dry (though well worth it to fix cracked/ripped nails) and sometimes when you file it, little chunks come off because it hasn't stuck to the nail properly. Maybe I didn't let it dry long enough but this is pretty annoying since I hate sitting around waiting.
Pro FX
This brand sells oversized bottles of base coat and top coat, and they even have cuticle oil! When I say oversized I mean 75ml/2.5oz bottles of beautiful polish! The best part of Pro FX is how cheap it is... $5 at Walmart for a massive bottle that will last forever! They have 9 products, though I've only seen 8. They are: Complete 3 (base coat, strengthener, top coat), UV Top Coat, Quick Dry Top Coat, Mineral Botanical Strengthener, Epoxy Bond, Fiberized Ridge Filler, Protein Enriched Base Coat, Apricot Cuticle Oil, and Quick Dry Drops (haven't seen this - not sure where to get it).
All of the Pro FX products work extremely well, and they do exactly what the label says it will. I'll be posting reviews on all Pro FX products sometime soon so stay tuned :)
Konad Multi Stamp
The first Konad stamp I bought was just a small one and I thought it was great until I tried to get a certain stamp on a certain spot of the nail but couldn't line it up too well. Then I discovered there was a double sided stamp, and then saw the multi stamp. I love the multi stamp because it's double sided and has a scraper built in so there's less shuffling when stamping.
Nail Polish Remover Dip
My mom introduced me to polish remover dip and I instantly loved it! Removing polish has never been easier with this baby. It's just a little jar with a sponge inside. The sponge has an x cut into it so you can put your finger in there, and it's soaked in nail polish remover so all you need to do is twist your finger back and forth until the polish comes off. Normally I use 100% acetone, which, if any of you know, is fairly sticky and a little annoying to work with at first, though it does remove polish faster. My friends prefer to use the dip, but I tend to only use it when I need to redo just one nail. I also use my old one to clean my dotting tools!
My only complaint is that you have to buy a new one when the sponge gets full of nail polish, you can't clean it and add new nail polish remover. Trust me, I tried it and it did NOT work! They're really cheap though, like $3 at Walmart for a Sally Hansen one so well worth your money because they do last a long time and are super convenient.
Sally Hansen Cuticle Pusher & Trimmer
I'm a huge fan of pushing my cuticles back, but I don't often have to trim them since they don't grow too long, but when I do, this tool cuts nice and close. I tend to push my cuticles back with my nails (my favourite method) but the pusher on this tool is pretty good, although I do prefer a metal one to this one. Mostly I just like the trimmer. The only thing is you need to be careful you don't cut too much cuticle off and bleed or cause an infection! My advice is try to cut smoothly and not too deep.
***For the polishes below, I'm sorry I don't have swatches, I never bothered to take any pictures and that many swatches would be too time consuming considering I want to publish this post not sit around swatching!
Color Club - Halo Hues Collection
My first holographic polish was Color Club's Harp On It. Originally I wanted the whole collection, and I had seen it on www.nailpolishcanada.com before but when I went to order more polish it was gone and most of the other polishes from the collection were sold out. A couple weeks later it was back up so I instantly ordered it! I'm glad I ordered the whole set because I broke my Harp On It after only using it twice, so I got a replacement with the Halo Hues collection.
These holos don't need an aqua base unlike many other holos, which is definitely a plus since more nail polish = more money and more drying time. Every single colour in this collection is absolutely beautiful! The only thing I don't understand though is why they needed to have two pink(ish) colours. Cloud Nine and Halo-Graphic both have pink tones and in most lights I can't tell the difference. I haven't gotten a chance to swatch them yet, though in other peoples swatches I have been able to see a difference.
UV Lamp
Most UV lamps can be pricey so they're really only for dedicated nail polish folk, or if you've got the money. Since a UV lamp is primarily for gel and acrylic, it takes longer to dry actual polish which can be frustrating. While this is the case, I still use it on every manicure because it's faster than waiting for polish to air dry, and it warms my cold hands in the winter! I got mine on eBay for about $40 (36W) and I'm very happy with the quality - no complaints whatsoever!
Nicole by OPI - Sensational Scarlet
These dark red sparkles are beautiful for the holidays! The glitter is all different sizes and the fine glitter is very obvious in the light. Two coats is good for this polish, one is a little thin and the glitter isn't as obvious. It's a little textured when dry, so I like to put a couple top coats on.
Orly - Miss Conduct
I've only used this once but I was instantly in love with it. It's a deep raspberry colour with holographic sparkles. It's classy but still fun! You don't even need a top coat with this one, but it's probably better so your mani is sealed in.
China Glaze - Flip Flop Fantasy
My absolute favourite summer colour! (And absolute favourite pink too!) I love this on both my nails and toes, in fact it's the only colour that I will ever match both nails and toes with. It's like a neon, but it's not. You need at least two coats for this one, sometimes even three but it's worth it! It dries a little matte so I always put a glossy top coat on.
China Glaze - Rose Among Thorns
This colour really was a rose among thorns... I randomly saw it as I was looking for other polishes! This beautiful pink/red is a neon so a white base would probably be better though I've only used it on a clear base.
Revlon - Guava
I love this pink, because it's bright yet it's a little deeper so it's fun but not tacky if that's what you're worried about at work etc. I use this a lot for designs, it's very opaque on top of darker colours.
Orly - Cotton Candy
This pink is cute and girly, it's true to the colour in the bottle. So far I've only used it with some designs but it works well with most colours.
Revlon - Lily
I'm not normally a fan of light purples, but I am of this one! It's absolutely gorgeous! I did a simple dot mani with this polish as the base and it was probably one of my favourite manis yet.
WetnWild - On A Trip
If you're into bright purples, this one is a must have. It's extremely vibrant, and I think it pairs perfectly with Revlon's Guava (mentioned earlier). My only complaint is it dries a little darker than in the bottle, but still a lovely colour nonetheless.
Nicole by OPI - Positive Energy
I've had this for so long, and I'm sure everyone's seen it, but I just love this metallic silver. I've never really used any other, so I don't have anything to compare it to. I've found that it is a little streaky though, but it's pretty good considering some metallics are just awful when it comes to streaking!
Nicole by OPI - Look At Me, Look At Me
This is my favourite silver glitter. It's fine silver glitter, with some pink hex glitters. You can get away with one coat, but two is idea. It dries very textured so you'll probably want to apply two top coats.
Nicole by OPI - The Next CEO
This one is a light metallic gold which looks silver in some lights. It's extremely classy and I would wear it on its own. It's also a great base for pink/purple leopard designs, and I love it with black accents, or as an accent on black nails!
China Glaze - Secret Peri-wink-le
I love this periwinkle, it's not too dark or too light. It's definitely one of my must haves because it's so pretty!
China Glaze - Aquadelic
I believe this one is similar to "For Audrey," also by CG. It's a deep mint/teal, and I absolutely love it, especially on toes or with Silver accents.
OPI - Here Today... Aragon Tomorrow
This is a metallic dark green with a suede finish. I've had this for a while and only used it a couple times but every time I use it I just ask myself why I don't use it more often. It's very elegant, and it's a must have if you like dark colours with a bit of sparkle.
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